"My Fist Is Big?"... Taean Local Event Sparks Controversy Over 6,000 Won Tteokbokki Smaller Than a Fist

Taean World Tulip Flower Festival Nearby Street Vendor 'Rip-off'
"6,000 Won Tteokbokki Portion Was Fist-Sized"
Organizer Denies, "Confirmed Vendor Unrelated to Festival"

Amid ongoing controversies over price gouging at local festivals, a story has emerged about food being overpriced at a street vendor near the Taean World Tulip Flower Festival.

Tteokbokki sold for 6,000 won at the Taean World Tulip Flower Festival. Please note that parts of the store that could identify it, such as the menu board, have been mosaicked.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 24th, a post titled "I will never go to the Tulip Festival again" was uploaded to an online community. As of 3 PM on the 24th, the post had garnered 59,000 views and over 1,200 recommendations, becoming a major topic of discussion. The author, Mr. A, who visited the World Tulip Flower Festival held at Korea Flower Park within Ggotji Coastal Park in Taean, Chungnam, began by saying, "I wonder when these seasonal merchants will disappear."

Mr. A complained, "The pajeon (Korean pancake) was 15,000 won, but it felt like it was 95% flour. The tteokbokki was 6,000 won, served in a bowl smaller than a fist, and tasted like it had been made 2 to 3 days ago. The beondegi (silkworm pupae) was 5,000 won but was bland, as if the pupae had just been soaked in water." In the photos Mr. A shared, the tteokbokki is served in a bowl roughly the size of his clenched fist. The rice cakes and fish cakes are mixed in a spicy sauce, but the portion is clearly small at a glance. Mr. A sarcastically added, "To do business like this targeting elderly parents... I think I might go to the festival one more time just to watch the hawking."

In response, a festival official stated, "After fact-checking, the street vendor in question is unrelated to the festival, so the claims of price gouging at the festival are not true."

Meanwhile, price gouging controversies have repeatedly occurred at local festivals held across the country. On the 3rd of this month, the portion size of chicken gangjeong sold for 15,000 won at the Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival sparked controversy, and on the 2nd, a 10,000 won spicy pork rice bowl sold at the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival in Seoul drew criticism for being excessively expensive relative to its portion size.